Computer Crime

Recognizing that there are numerous threats to a computer user because of vurises, adware, spyware, Trojan horses, and other malware, users are now more aware and conscious of the need to install anti-virus software and adware blockers. But because of the growing demand for such security software, unscrupulous persons are proliferating the market with rogue security software, which in themselves are malware, fake, ineffective and deceiving.

Signs that your PC security software is a rogue type

A rogue security software may be detected if there is a browser plug-in or extension is required, if an image, screensaver, or archive file is attached to an email message, if a certain video clip is being required to play, or if a free online malware scanning service is offered. Once installed, the rogue software attempts to entice a user to purchase or install additional software by simulating the existence of a malware or a system crash and reboot or disabling parts of the system to prevent the user from uninstalling. The software may slow down the computer or corrupt files, install pop-up windows giving false or misleading alerts, prevent visits into antivirus vendor websites, or disable Windows updates. An offer to donate a portion of the sale of the software to a charitable cause is a tactic used by many rogue security software developers and vendors.

Actions done by the US government against rogue PC security software creators

Because of the growing number of rogue security software, the US government has stepped in and has been prosecuting their developers and vendors. A list of these rogue software are available on the Internet as a reference for computer users. In 2006, the government has been able to require a rogue security software vendor, Secure Computer LLC, to pay a USD75,000 restitution to consumers. In 2008, the assets of another producer and marketer of rogue security software, Innovative Marketing, and its web host, ByteHosting Internet Hosting Services LLC, were frozen. They were barred from advertising and using domain names associated with their software. The government has likewise asked banks to disallow the processing of payments for purchases involving such software.

The computer user must be vigilant and more careful in his or her installation of freeware because of the proliferation of viruses, malware, and rogue security software. It is best that he or she checks the reliability and authenticity of the source and the software itself.

The number of identity theft cases has risen over the years. One reason why this is happening is that the victims themselves unknowingly supply the fraudsters with sensitive information. Here's how you can avoid being the next victim:

Don’t respond to anonymous emails and spams.

If you don’t know the sender and the message of the e-mail is vague, suspicious, and is asking you to respond immediately with sensitive personal information, this is more likely to come from fraudsters. Spam e-mails pop up in our inboxes daily. Even if they claim to be selling a product you really like at very low costs, refrain yourself from replying.

Don’t give out personal information at an unsecured site to avoid identity theft

Never fill in personal information like Social Security number, bank passwords, and account names, especially if you were led to that site by a link that is e-mailed to you. Most likely, the e-mail is from people who are running a phishing scam.

The bottom line is, exercise caution and common sense when online. This includes protecting your password and log-in information to prevent online scams.

Scams and scammers have been around for hundreds of years. With the advent of the internet, their modus operandi has become more sophisticated, faster to implement, and reaches more potential victims.

Work-at-home scams

Work-at-home scams offer income opportunities without leaving one's home. Victims are often stay-at-home mothers, retirees, the disabled, and individuals from low-income families. Scammers entice them through e-mail, website ads, and comments placed in forums by using words and phrases such as "earn $10000 a month from home," "quick typing jobs," and "guaranteed payments."

Phishing scam

Bank account usernames, passwords, credit card information, and other sensitive information are acquired by email messages that look like they come from legitimate sources. This is called phishing.


Check overpayment e-mail scam

This scam happens primarily to Internet sellers. The fraudster will respond to an ad or win a bid in an auction site and then sends a check payment that is more than the agreed price. The seller will then be asked to refund the excess amount immediately. Needless to say, the check will bounce.

There are computer criminals everywhere. Sometimes, they just give you an attractive email that contains virus. If you're a fool, you would open the unknown email and would suffer computer corruption. Know the hottest computer crimes so as to prevent them. These include the unauthorized use of somebody else's username and password; creating virus or any other dangerous computer programs. The last and most serious crime is harassment and cyberspace stalking because it involves YOU already.

When you use your computer for forging a signature or counterfeiting, you are committing a crime. When you steal someone's personal hard disk that contains critical information, you are stealing with malicious intent. When you show any sexual act to provoke sex in online world, you are most likely to commit prostitution. And, you can also use computers to commit larceny. We are familiar with all these old crimes, but we ignore them because these are criminal acts that we encounter even if we don't use our pc. With or without computer, a crime is still a crime.

The USA Punishment Law for computer crimes is not really that helpful to the victims. The fearless computer criminal will only be convicted for several months like 8-21 months. That is 2 years at the least. After that, you can go back to where you have started again, and this time you would be more careful. I think the "hardest" punishment is being forced in community service. It it really worth it to steal private information? Anyway, get an effective firewall protection to protect you from these criminals.

I think I don't like what's inside the newspapers today. I came across an article about a planned bill that will provide the government full control and access to systems of Internet providers. This is extremely scary. Think about this guys: people in key positions of the government will be able to access our personal and business files. They'll be able to read our accounts in social networking websites like MySpace and FaceBook.

This plan by the government rooted from the bill created by Senator Mike Dewine. The purpose of the bill is to get easy access on information regarding terrorists, criminals, and law violators. But the thing here is that asking officials not to rummage our online files is like asking Garfield not to chomp on your lasagna. Critics of this bill and Jon Arbuckle have one thing in common: they know that politicians just like Garfield are untrustworthy.

If I'm not mistaken, online privacy is also the government's idea. However, with the rate things are going, I think the government is planning to violate the same right that they're trying to protect. I'm not in favor of this bill. The web is a sacred place, at least for us computer users. But if things swirl the other way around, I promise I will not add nor befriend Dewine in my MySpace account.

I was thinking about chain mails and about how much I loathe them. Chain mails are those rubbish that contain nonsense messages like 10 Ways To Get A Guy, Prayers For Computer Users, and shitty stories. I always see these useless stuff whenever I open my inbox. Personally, I think those mails are worst than spam, adware, hackers, viruses, and spyware. To tell you frankly, I'd rather have a hacker ransacking my system than have a grouchy mail waiting stupidly in my inbox to wreak disaster.

On second thought, I won't let a hacker darken my computer screen. I'll blast his head first with a missile before he can enter my system! If she's a girl, I'll put a bottle of hot sauce in her slimy ovary, before I let my German shepherd chomp on it! Going back to those shitty mails, I think only undersexed bitches send them.

They don't have anything worth it to do with their lives so they fuck around with people in the web to emphasize that they're stenching slugs! A big Fuck You to those maggots who read chain mails and laugh at them. Computer wizards should make plans on eliminating the bitches who disseminate these coma-inducing e-mails. Let's send anthrax letters to those whores, so they'll learn!

Identity theft is a serious crime, and more and more people are victimized by these arse-lickers. Even morons who can't read a single book know this by heart. But the problem here is that you bastards surely know that these filthy thefts prowl the Internet highways everyday, yet you're still addicted to online shopping, which makes you a vulnerable target.

Online shoppers are suffering from an incurable disease called idiocy. But I've already found the cure. You bitches should come to my place and I'll stuff scorpions into your stenching, dirty vagina. There's no point blaming other people for your stupidity. It's a golden rule not to give personal information in the web. Because you violate the rule, you're doomed on the bum for the rest of your life.

Can't you just buy those portable laptops, personal digital assistants, and other gadgets in the real store? By the way, you don't even know how to use them, so don't waste money. Holy Shit! I never knew, we men are the dumbest creatures that roam on Earth. Even slugs know how to protect their privacy. Don't make me hear you call yourself human or I'll dislocate your bones and punch your mouth until you lose your stinking breath.

Identity theft is the number one worry of most people today, but not me. Becoming Dante Miller is not a life to pursue, that is, if you are a thief. Yes, you'll definitely be living the life of Riley. Yet, you'd be forced to check the Internet and the library to know who Riley is. In short, you'll be Dante Miller with an identity crisis.

But recently, due to the many reports published in papers about ID theft, I became worried. My Social Security number and credit card numbers are listed on my old tax form and bills, so I carefully erased them all using my liquid eraser. ID thieves can assume your identity through these financial and personal information. Fortunately for them, and not so fortunate for us, they can use those details in their profit-oriented pursuits by selling them to a third party.

My liquid eraser is already dry so I went to the nearest bookstore to buy a box of erasers. I was handing my credit card to the cashier when I stopped, thinking that I'm not entirely sure if she's the real cashier or just assuming the cashier's identity. I went home without the erasers and ended giving my forms and bills to my maid. I asked her to line the bottom of our parrot's cage using the said forms. Now, call me if you see a foul bird saying he's Dante Miller.

The FBI is really doing its best in eliminating people who use the Internet to proliferate havoc and distress. Recently, two New Yorker teens were apprehended for alleged extortion from MySpace operators. Saverio Mondelli and Shaun Harrison were arrested last month in Los Angeles (LA) by investigators disguised as employees from MySpace. The two were supposed to meet the employees to get the money they were trying to extort, but met their doom instead.

The said scheme started when the young programmers discovered flaws in the social networking website. They started developing codes that allowed them to hack the site and get important personal data of the users of MySpace. They threatened the employees that if they will not be paid $150,000, personal data of users will be sold to another party. Technicians from the site sought the aid of High Tech Crime Unit, a special task force for Internet crime leading. Thus, it lead to the pair's arrest. LA Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey McGrath incriminated the two with two counts of illegal computer access and one count of sending a threat letter for attempted extortion. McGrath also said that the suspects agreed to stay in LA while the case is pending. The case will have its preliminary hearing this June.

I'm here in a cozy cafe in Las Vegas, Nevada, owned by one of my best buddies in secondary school, who is now a business entrepreneur with at least twelve branches of his coffee shop in Nevada alone. It's 10 am, I'm holding my cup of ginger espresso in my left hand while my right is busy writing something on my Toshiba portable laptop which lies magnificently in the cute round table that I occupied. It's actually raining so hard this morning, and I can see drops slashing the surface of the clean glass windows of the shop. Looking outside, uniformed office workers, are trying to fit in the narrow shade to prevent their nicely sewn skirts and sleeves from being damped. The clouds above doesn't show the slightest sign of mercy as it angrily showered everyone with all the water, (I just hope it's clean) that it could muster.

Looking at the clouds, the rainfall and the faces of the outsider marked by anguish and hysteria, I remembered a certain news article in the papers yesterday about a certain company which fought spam, then it surprisingly surrendered from the protracted battle. Blue security (BS) became popular when it started a technique of fighting evil spammers with spam as well.

If these nasty idiots ignore the requests of users to stop sending nonsense e-mails, BS also sends in numerous messages to their site incessantly. This an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth system popularized by the company earned support as well as criticisms from some concerned companies. Critic said that the action made by BS is a form of web vigilantism. But when spammers hijacked at least thousands of computers and issued a threat to BS that they'll be sending multiple virus attacks on more computers if BS won't cease on its counterattacks.

Knowing that it would be to risky for the company and their customers to continue their tactic which was gaining positive feedbacks, BS stop its countermeasure operation and ventured on non-spamming operations. This is a sad story for the Internet history, because just when we thought we were winning the battle, the leader of our army started retreating for safety. I associate this story with the rain because, uhm, ... when it rains, it pours. Nah, I think that's kind of lousy, anyway, the BS story is disheartening and just like the tears from heaven, I guess many users are mourning with BS decision.

The silly season is upon us, fabricated stories, ridiculous reports and most of the time, hilarious ideas keep popping nowadays. Sorry, if I'm confusing you, and I think it would be right to say that this is still a blog about Internet security so as not to shorten your time in exploring this site. Anyway, I started this entry today with that opening line because of the news I just read earlier while I'm having my fourth morning cup of coffee. It's about a survey where people admitted that they are so engrossed with porn downloads. I really can't help myself but grin whenever I hear or read the word porn and I believe this survey came out in numerous web sites now, and it actually raised some of the unplucked eyebrows of my officemates because most of them are from London.

The survey by Nielsen revealed that Britons are falling in love with downloading pornographic materials in the Internet. It states that almost half the male population in U.K. visit porn sites almost everyday, either job related or not. Surprisingly, even the rate of, ahem, ladies who are accessing taboo in the net increased by thirty percent compared to last year. You can call me a hypocrite or blow me up with your laser gun, but the thing is, if it's the latest trend in Internet surfing, I think it's not really healthy though some may consider it orgasmic.

Though surfing porn sites and downloading images or videos containing sex inducing materials can't be considered as a crime, it is however, a factor or a link, perhaps for the growing sex crime not only in UK but throughout the globe. This is amongst the reasons why some concerned citizens and government officials are doing their best to fight for the censorship of the Internet. Although it would be far from happening, the best way that parents can do is to guide their children not to make pornography site-seeing as a hobby.

It is okay to look and search for friends in social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace as long as your intention is to show the world how congenial and friendly you are and not to become an agent of havoc and distress. I hope you do know what I mean here since such sites are known to be a hallway for online predators to prowl and hunt down gullible victims. Most victims are teens who think that everything that goes around the sight is cool and hip. But Rep. Michael G. Fitzpatrick does not think so that's why he's been trying to push through the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) which will hopefully block such web sites in the Internet. But although the legislation isn't approved yet, it's a good thing that there school officials who are teaching their students to practice responsible Internet surfing.

Some schools in Illinois and California will have their students take an oath not to post blog entries in MySpace containing immoral and wicked articles unless they want to get kicked out from the extracurricular activities that they are in. Members of varsity teams, school clubs, university choirs and thespians guild will be ask to agree in the pledge that they will never put any taboo materials in MySpace as a responsible student of their schools which will start this upcoming school year. Officials will conduct regular search on the supposedly friendly sites and will retort to tip-offs by students, parents and members of the community.

Although the said bill received raised unplucked eyebrows from critics, it gained huge support from school administrators and parents whose sole purpose is to protect their children from harm. I personally salute these school heads who started this clever idea since it only promotes an atmosphere of responsibility in the end of personal computer users. I just hope that more concerned people will support the legislation proposed by congressman Fitzpatrick.

I like to indulge in a shopping spree where I can buy all the items that I want especially when I have my credit card with me with a high available credit and the good thing is that I'm not the one who's going to pay for the bill. This is a quintessential thought that we will see if we try to slice the brain of an expert identity thief.

Yes, they can splurge into a whole month shopping galore using your credit card account without you knowing it, unless you're credit card company alerted you of your increasing bill. But if you haven't heard of situations like this before, don't you worry because you'll be the next victim soon. Just don't stop on giving away personal and financial information on online shopping site and other treacherous web sites.

According to the figure shown by the Federal Trade Commission over 700,000 Americans were victimized by identity thieves ranging from fraud cases to stealing their entire identity. ID theft is amongst the growing threat to computer users today since not all security suites installed in a computer are capable of doing the job that they're supposed to do. Aside from that, the databases of our credit card companies are easily hackable since even government computers are being a weak prey falling into the hands of computer experts turned villains.

In my last blog I think, it's also about ID theft and I told you guys to buy every security suite that will be compatible to your PC and not give your personal and financial details unless you deeply know that the site has a good reputation. Now, as a follow up to the topic, which I guess will be my theme for the coming months, I present to you another measure to stay away from rotten identity-sucking goons. If you have the chance, please do read Preventing Identity Theft For Dummies by Michael J. Jr. Arata, because it's such a very helpful book especially to those who are ignorant about the beleaguering crime. I think an awareness campaign is also necessary like what is mentioned in the book to aid more computer users.

Amongst the major causes of identity theft is due to consumers doing online business transactions giving out personal and financial information like credit card numbers, bank account numbers, social security numbers and many more. Unknowingly, they provide this confidential information to fake web sites disguised as online shopping sites. This process employed by profit-centered computer thieves to victimize shopaholic computer users, and what security experts dubbed as social engineering. But true ID theft is goes beyond simple credit card fraud; this crime occurs when the full identity of a person is taken over, perhaps the culprit saw that there's more to be gained than the credit card number. There are some consumers who put their confidence on anti-spamming gadgets, firewalls and anti-virus device. But unfortunately, not all them are created to have a meticulous human brain that knows what's malice and what's illegal, and they only work according to our needs if we, ourselves monitor the computer traffic.

Aside from careful web surfing, there are other ways wherein can prevent filthy gloves of computer thieves from taking away our identity. One is by employing myriad layers of protection like having a complete set of security suites ranging from anti-viruses, firewalls, anti-spyware and spam blockers and filters. Having these around does not mean you are paranoid, though everyone is turning into one because even our trusted authorities sometimes fall into the clutches of these criminals. Well, I guess it's better to be complete than having nothing to protect you against these pestering crime bits, right?

I think the government has heard our pleas to take necessary measures on the growing and equally alarming rate of crimes in the cyberspace. This time it does not only include crimes about hacking, identity theft, virus writing or sending of malicious files. Because our government officials are aiming to decrease predators in social networking web sites like MySpace, Friendster and Facebook and other chatrooms.

I believe this effort is for the benefit of the parents who are worried with the safety of their children when it comes to the use of the Internet. The Internet aside from being the source of information for business and personal users is also a well of preys for sexual abusers, kidnappers and pedophiles who are lurking in its four corners disguising as strangers seeking for friends and lovers. With regards to the legislation being process in the Congress, its objective is to block the access of the said web sites in Internet laboratories in various campuses.

However, some selfish Internet companies are heavily breathing fire like wingless dragons against the said proposition. Although bill's aim is for something that is beneficial for the parents and most children, these companies think that the government is abusing its power to restrict freedom of expression and press freedom by censoring the Internet. Personally, I am a supporter of this bill since it would help eliminate criminals who are tuning to computers for victims and it will somehow decrease the crime rates in our place.

The battle between police forces, government organizations and concerned citizens versus cyber criminals is just starting. With the growing rate of casualties brought upon by the incessant attacks of hackers and identity thieves, billions of dollars were lost and almost a thousand firms were bankrupt. Aside from business users, personal users were also affected due to the damaged files and much worst stolen identity. This crime is same with the rampant stealing of mobile phones and personal digital assistants.

Thankfully, the government organizations not only here in America but also with other foreign countries are cooking up methods to save and protect the nation from the growing population of computers villains. Starting here in the US, the Department of Justice is tying up with the House of Representatives to strengthen current cyber crime laws. In addition to that, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has established the National Infrastructure Protection Center and Regional Computer Intrusion Squads have been made in various offices in the entire US.

In Brunei, the Royal Brunei Police Force recently conducted a training program for its men in tracking and possibly combating cyber crime. The Brunei police went under a basic computer training symposium held last May 8. Parts of the symposium are trainings about software networking and computer development and if the results of the training are positive, the police who have undergone the program will be trainers for future convention.

Virtual crimes are better in scaring the wits and causing goosebumps on most Americans than physical crimes. This is from the article I've read in the Internet, based on a telephone survey sponsored by a computer company conducted on U.S. adults which bare the fact that most of us are thinking that will be a victim of a cyber attack like virus outbreaks and hacking than physical offense. These poignant statements from real people made me realize that criminals are getting techie, morphing into high profile computer villains.

Lost of income is the major reason why people are scared of cyber criminals or attack for that matter because they are more troubled by the possibility of a virus, spyware and hackers that might destroy the files, data and entire computer system use for the business. With this fear in mind, consumers are changing their behavior towards the use of computers and the way they take advantage of the conveniences the Internet offers.

Only few are willing to give out their credit card and personal information online, do online bank transactions and engage in peer to peer sharing which is a common practice in airports and cafes. What alarms business enthusiasts more is the bothering situation wherein they will only realize that they've been victimized months after the grueling attack.

Personally, I think that the war against cyber cops and robbers will never cease with the fact that the price of ensuring the safety of our computer machines is not getting any lower. Educating users about proper and simple security measures seems like an eternal task because the more we try to keep our data away from bad hands, the more these computer evils sneak on our backs and surprise us by biting our asses as hard as they can. But the real question here is that are the people in our government doing something to hunt down and possibly arrest these goons? Or are they still looking for secret agents like Ethan Hunt to help them spare us from the growing rate of computer evils?

Computer technology develops as the growth of computer criminals continue to rise. Most computer users consider hackers and crackers as their mortal enemy and they would do everything such as installing security devices like the firewall to prevent these evildoers from corrupting personal files or information and succeed in destroying other's computers.

Hacking is defined as gaining of access (wanted or unwanted) to a computer and viewing, copying, or creating data (leaving a trace) without the intention of destroying data or maliciously harming the computer. Meanwhile, cracking is a method done by a person who gains unauthorized access to a computer with the intention of causing damage. Hackers and crackers are the ones who screw things over as far as creating virus, cracks, spyware, and destroying data.

However, hackers and crackers are said to be computer wizards as well. Yet they used their knowledge about computers in destroying other's data, computers, properties and even lives. To stop these people, the best thing that we can do is to give everybody the benefit of the doubt. Trust and privacy are two important things, therefore, we shouldn't be giving out our passwords to untrustworthy people. Another measure to eliminate of these cyber criminals is to stop ourselves from being one.

There are so many social networking websites nowadays. Through this websites, many people start to get to know each other and interact through the internet. Almost everyday, millions and millions of people around the world are logged onto the fast-paced internet realm. It has become a commodity for many of us. Everything is done through the internet--the daily money transactions, the communications, and everything else. This does not exclude internet crimes, too.

There have been so many news about broken lovers stalking each other through the internet. There have also been news about stalkers who persistently stalk their victims through the internet. This is called the "cyber stalking". That is why the protection from harassment act 1998 and the malicious communications act 1998 has been ratified in the United Kingdom. These laws forbid those people or stalkers to constantly harass their victims through the cyberspace.

The malicious emails and online messages can be used against those who sent them. There are so many "perverted" strangers over the internet who are into cyber stalking nowadays. The only way to avoid them is to, well, avoid them. If you do not know the person who wants to chat with you, in a very odd way, do not allow them to do so. Once you start to chat with them, they can easily snake their way to your personal online files. You need to be careful when it comes to the internet business.

ShadowCrew is the name of an Internet-based criminal mob. It is also the name of the website created by Andrew Mantovani and David Appleyard. Mantovani was a student from Arizona’s Scottsdale Community college while Appleyard was a mortgage broker from Linwood, New Jersey. The website created by these two individuals soon became a den for cyber criminals all over the world. Ill-gotten bank accounts, credit card numbers, false ID, and even drugs were traded in the ShadowCrew website. After a while, ShadowCrew had, according to the United States Secret Service, 4,000 members; some of these members moderated the forums.

In the two years that ShadowCrew operated, 1.5 credit card numbers, 18 million e-mail accounts and numerous false identification documents were being traded to the highest bidders. Their MO included a review process. If you possess illegal documents that you want to sell, the high-raking members of the crew will review the documents. If you pass the process you become a vendor and your item will be sold to the highest bidder. In an attempt to bring down this web mob, a high-ranking member named CumbaJohnny was arrested by authorities and is now working for the Secret Service to put an end to ShadowCrew’s illegal operations.

As we advance into the cyber age, we rely more on computers and the Internet to help ease our works. Technology has produced great tools to lighten the burden of our daily lives. Banks store the confidential information of their clients, like credit card numbers and back account information, in their computers. Several government agencies also use computers to store their top secret plans and programs. Computers are used by these organizations to secure their files, or so they think. The sad and scary fact is that the even though it serves as a protective measure, some computer genius can find a way to infiltrate their defenses and get those information that they can use for their personal gain. Cyber crime is the latest venture of criminal minds. To combat them, the Secret Service organized Operation Firewall.

Operation Firewall began in July 2003 and targeted ShadowCrew – a gang which was responsible for the pillaging of numerous bank accounts and credit card numbers. Operation Firewalls has proven to be a success, putting several cyber criminal behind bars to pay for their crimes. Though they have succeeded in stopping some criminal activities in cyberspace, their work is still not finished as the Internet is filled with cyber criminals.